We live in a cynical age. So there were bound to be doubters when Ray Lewis announced he was retiring at the end of the Ravens’ postseason run. However, there was one voice out there saying that maybe Lewis won’t really be calling it a career just yet that maybe deserves at least a little attention.

Deion Sanders, a one-time Raven, counts himself as one of Lewis’ friends, and he said Lewis may well reconsider once the season is over, especially if the team looks close to Super Bowl-ready.

“I don’t believe it — I really don’t,” Sanders said on NFL Network (via Pro Football Talk). “We all know that he’s been hampered with injuries over the last several years.

“He could say, ‘You know, I could do this again because we’re almost there,’” Sanders said. “But if they’re not close, then I can see Ray Lewis saying, ‘This is a wrap.’”

And Sanders did offer this reassuring assessment: Lewis is not one to be pulling a Brett Favre on-again/off-again retirement.

“Brett was on a carousel, and he changed his mind so many times we got tired of it,” Sanders said. “I don’t think Ray Lewis is that kind of guy. He’s always been a definitive guy.”